Several years later with qualifications in ceramics and silversmithing, I have also explored stained-glass, macramé and wire and ceramic sculpture. These have led to the range of jewellery, contemporary mixed media, on which I am currently working. a variety of ceramic techniques are combined with beading, micro macramé or knitted wire to produce beautiful pieces, each of which is unique, and will be chosen to complement the character, dress and mood of the wearer.

    Terracotta pieces utilize glazes created by my friend Rosemarie James. These comprise a series of glazes which are built up in layers, interacting with each other during the firing to produce rich depths of color and movement in every piece at their best they resemble jewels. Porcelain clay is used in two ways. one involves masking areas of pattern and then applying under glazes colors to create small abstract pictures.  The other is the making of agate ware, where a number of balls of the clay are stained with oxides and colors before being layered, rolled, cut and rerolled. the resultant sheets of pattern are then cut, and at their best create tiny landscapes, which always remind me of the natural beauty of my home country of Canada.

    The third technique is based on the ancient Japanese art of raku, used to produce bowls for the tea ceremony. Raku is glazed and fired rapidly outdoors to around 950*C. The kiln is then opened and the molten glazed red hot pieces are removed at speed and buried in flammable material sawdust, leaves, seaweed, etc., the effect of carbonized material on glazed and clay is unpredictable and frequently dramatic. unglazed areas are stained black by the smoke, some pieces combine bare clay with special glazes, while others are left completely unglazed. these later have gold leaf added to them, giving gold designs on black and charcoal grey grounds.